One of the more promising home comfort and security enhancements to have been developed in recent years is provided by devices known generally as rolling shutters. Such rolling shutters have provided a convenient mechanism by which a building window or doorway may be conveniently shaded and to some extent secured by closing a movable shutter supported by guide rails on each side of the building window or doorway or other similar opening. While the particular designs and structures of such rolling shutters have been subject to substantial variation in the art, generally all include a plurality of elongated relatively lightweight elements also referred to in the art as "slats" which are usually formed of a lightweight metal or extruded plastic material and which are often filled with a foam material. The plurality of elements are coupled together by hinged couplings to form a multifaceted curtain or blind capable of being rolled upon a supply roller and straightened out to form a relatively planar shutter. A pair of guide rails are secured to each side of the to-be-shuttered window or door opening which receive the end portions of the elements to guide their travel. A rotatable roller often having a drive motor coupled thereto is secured above the guide rails extending across the to-be-shuttered window or doorway. The elements are secured to and rolled upon the roller which is typically covered by a housing cover or the like. One of the most common types of roller drives utilizes a structure known in the art as a "tubular motor" which is generally cylindrical in shape and is readily coupled to an elongated drive axle tube which in essence supports the rolled elements and provides the basic roller structure. In the typical operation of such rolling shutters, the shutter is opened by simply rolling the elements upon the roller and withdrawing the elements from the guide rails exposing the window or door opening. Conversely, closure or shuttering is accomplished by rotating the roller to unroll the elements and allow the elements to be guided downwardly through the guide rails under the influence of gravity until all or part of the window or door opening is covered by the shutter elements.
A frequent variation of such rolling shutters utilizes hinge structures between the elements which in addition to providing a pivoting attachment also provides for some extension of the distance between the shutter elements. In such case, the shutter elements define a plurality of elongated slots or apertures positioned close to the hinge mechanism which are exposed when the hinge mechanism is extended and which are covered when the hinge mechanism is compressed. The provision has become popular among consumers by providing an optional configuration of the shutter in which the shutter is unrolled to less than full closure allowing the gravity effect upon the elements to extend each hinge structure and expose the various elongated apertures thereby providing a small amount of light transmission through the shutter element array or, alternatively, unrolling the shutter to its full downward position to cause the hinge structures to be contracted thereby providing full darkening and closure of the elongated slots.
While the prior art rolling shutters have provided some improvement in securing and shading various homes and commercial facilities, they remain nonetheless subject to substantial problems and limitations. For example, one of the major limitations and problems associated with such rolling shutters is the general weakness of the shutter itself due to the orientation of the elongated relatively lightweight shutter elements when the shutter is closed. Of necessity in fabricating an effective and practical rolling shutter, the shutter elements must be relatively lightweight and therefore fabricated from relative light materials. In addition, the basic design and structure of such rolling shutters orients the shutter elements in their weakest position in terms of resisting external forces such as high winds or the like. Another serious limitation found in prior art rolling shutters is their general dependence upon installation in a vertical orientation. This arises due to the need for gravity forces upon the shutter elements to facilitate the above-described operation. While vertical orientation is encountered in a substantial number of applications such as conventional windows and doors, there remain nonetheless a number of potential installations which cannot be accommodated by conventional rolling shutters. Such potential installations include windows angled significantly from a vertical orientation, skylights or the like, patio cover roofs or the like and sunporch type glass enclosures. In addition to the above limitations, prior art rolling shutters generally require the positioning of the roller above the to-be-shuttered window or doorway. This precludes use of the rolling shutter in a side to side installation or an installation in which the roller is positioned along the bottom edge of the window or doorway.
In view of the foregoing limitations and problems associated with prior art rolling shutters, there arises a need in the art for stronger, more effective gravity independent rolling shutters. There arises a further need in the art for improved rolling shutters which may be readily installed at different angles and orientations and which are better able to resist strong forces such as high winds or the like.